• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1256-1261
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• 2017

${\beta}$-glucan is a constituent of the cell wall of fungi, yeast and plants. It plays an important role in the immune system such as activation of immunocyte, release of pro-inflammatory and anti-cancer effect. The immune system maintains a healthy immune homeostasis. However, when pathogenic substances enter the body, immune homeostasis can break down and disease can be triggered. Therefore, we studied a substance that regulates immune homeostasis. The purpose of the study we demonstrated whether the ${\beta}$-glucan can be applied to the immune-modulation effects in human monocytic THP-1 cells. ${\beta}$-glucan was incubated in THP-1 cells at various concentrations. The $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA expression and protein levels were analyzed by ELISA and Real-time PCR. Additionally, the expression of MAPKs (p38 and JNK), $I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$ and $NF-{\kappa}B$ p50 were analyzed by western blot. ${\beta}$-glucan enhanced the production of $TNF-{\alpha}$ mRNA expression and protein levels in human monocytic THP-1 cells. In addition, activation of MAPKs (p38 and JNK) and $NF-{\kappa}B$ p50 induced by ${\beta}$-glucan were increased. The study suggests that ${\beta}$-glucan contributes to immune-stimulation effect by production $TNF-{\alpha}$ in human monocytic THP-1 cells, and that MAPKs and $NF-{\kappa}B$ p50 are involved in the process. Synthetically, we have suggested ${\beta}$-glucan may be improved to immune system effect in human monocytic THP-1 cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.1331-1339
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• 2017

DNA barcoding is the identification of a species based on the DNA sequence of a fragment of the cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene in the mitochondrial genome. It is widely applied to assist with the sustainable development of fishery-product resources and the protection of fish biodiversity. This study attempted to verify horse-head fish (Branchiostegus japonicus) and fake horse-head fish (Branchiostegus albus) species, which are commonly consumed in Korea. For the validation of the two species, a real-time PCR method was developed based on the species' mitochondrial DNA genome. Inter-species variations in mitochondrial DNA were observed in a bioinformatics analysis of the mitochondrial genomic DNA sequences of the two species. Some highly conserved regions and a few other regions were identified in the mitochondrial COI of the species. In order to test whether variations in the sequences were definitive, primers that targeted the varied regions of COI were designed and applied to amplify the DNA using the real-time PCR system. Threshold-cycle (Ct) range results confirmed that the Ct ranges of the real-time PCR were identical to the expected species of origin. Efficiency, specificity and cross-reactivity assays showed statistically significant differences between the average Ct of B. japonicus DNA ($21.85{\pm}3.599$) and the average Ct of B. albus DNA ($33.49{\pm}1.183$) for confirming B. japonicus. The assays also showed statistically significant differences between the average Ct of B. albus DNA ($22.49{\pm}0.908$) and the average Ct of B. japonicus DNA ($33.93{\pm}0.479$) for confirming B. albus. The methodology was validated by using ten commercial samples. The genomic DNA-based molecular technique that used the real-time PCR was a reliable method for the taxonomic classification of animal tissues.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.1
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• pp.38-58
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• 2013

The existence of endemism in many parts of the world is an important factor for conservationists. Conservation can only be carried out under national legislation, and national endemics, which have very limited ranges, fully depend on the effort and success of conservation. A total of 523 vascular plant taxa were listed in the latest national checklist by Ministry of Environment in 2005, while the 'Creation and Furtherance of Arboretums Act' including a national endemic list (appendix 4-1) was established by Korea Forest Service and was legislated as a law in late 2011. This legislation by Korea Forest Service on endemism of Korean vascular plants have required much attention because of discrepancies of nomenclature, taxonomic bias and inflation. Examining data for both lists proposed by Ministry of Environment and Korea Forest Service, of the total of 360 legislated taxa, around 286 taxa are shared with the list of Ministry of Environment, of which about 80% have been found as common taxa. Around 67(18.7%) are typographic errors, and 14 taxa (3.9%) are recorded as illegitimate and invalidly published names. Through this analysis 12 taxa (3.4%) were found in China as well as in Korea and these are thought to be non Korean endemic taxa. Taken together, the legislated list displayed 1/4 (24.9%) errors out of the total list. Only 59 taxa (16.5%) are identified as national endemic species. The remainder are either unresolved candidates (73 taxa, 20.4%) or synonyms (196 taxa, 54.7%) status. It must be noted, that the concept of endemism very much depends on the knowledge of the species concept, taxonomic bias and geographical range of a species. Also, the most major nomenclatural problem tend to be more stable if the information on database about Korea Plant Name, which is managed by Korea National Arboretum are well updated year to year. These exaggerated numbers underscore the urgency for regional conservation planning and implementing effective strategies to preserve these real endemic taxa into the future.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2010

The survey was done in order to find what kinds of birds visit Taeanhaean National Park during breeding season, where we fixed up 10 coastal areas and islands within the National Park. Three groups concurrently performed the field research from 5th to 9th of July in 2009. Total 58 species and 7,323 individuals were recorded in Taeanhaean National Park. 48 species including 6,187 individuals were observed in coastal areas and 33 species including 1,136 individuals in island areas. The most dominant species in the National Park are Larus crassirostris which accounts for 60% of the birds inhabiting there, and they seem to have been bred in the islands near the National Park. The birds observed only around the coastal areas include Anas poecilorhyncha, Fulica atra, Egretta intermedia and the others which consist of 25 species and amount to 318 individuals, and the birds found exclusively in island areas include Phalacrocorax filamentosus, Apus pacificus¸ Locustella pleskei and other birds, which consist of 10 species and the number of those individuals observed was 308. The inhabited islands areas such as Gauido were characterized by high ratio of waterbird population, which seems to be correlated with the factors such as the extent of island, the richness of water resources, and the diversity of habitats. Based on the data collected during the research and other data from the previous observations, the kinds of dominant species remain nearly unchanged. And in spite of the oil spill accident in 2007, the increase in the number of waterbirds compared to 2004 may be the evidence that the area is recovering from the environmental pollution. At present, the tidal power plants are being built or scheduled to be built and large-scale reclamation is also under way. What is worse, those areas are seeing the increase of pension construction, which is likely to be the potential cause of damage and disturbance against some key habitats for the waterbirds. Therefore, it is a major priority that we build the bird information system to efficiently manage the knowledge-based asset collected from bird-watching groups and to better monitor the areas that need enhanced database through which the National Park can be appropriately administered.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.203-214
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the types, socio-demographic characteristics, use patterns, and visit motivations of visitors to "Jangseong Pyunbaek Healing Forest (JPHF)." Data were collected from 216 samples selected by convenient sampling method using questionnaire survey between October and November 2016. Data obtained from 476 respondents of the same type of survey during the same period were partly used to examine the types of activities of visitors to the study site. The results showed that 77.0 percent of respondents were categorized as "visitor for recreation" (VR: Those who visit JPHF for the purpose of general recreational experiences such as appreciating landscapes, tourism, social interactions rather than better health or healing). On the other hand, only 10.3 percent of respondents were "visitor for healing" (VH: Those who visit JPHF for the purpose of better health or physical and mental healing). VH showed a higher level of visit experiences to JPHF than VR and tended to expect JPHF as "the place to enjoy calm and natural experiences" more than VR did. VH tended to visit JPHF "alone" more, and their group size was also smaller than VR. About 26.8 percent of all respondents were not aware that JPHF was the "healing forest," and VH showed higher awareness of it than VR. About 66.8% of respondents assessed the managerial and operating states of JPHF positively while only 6.2% assessed them negatively. There was no difference in the assessment of managerial and operating states between VR and VH. The visitors of JPHF showed the markedly high use in main forest roads (use rate: 47.4%) and "Healing Field" (use rate: 59.2%) of JPHF. Regarding the visit motivations to JPHF, VH showed higher importance on "quietude," "health," and "tension release" than VR while VR rated higher importance on "social interaction." The paper discussed the managerial implications, findings, limitations and further studies.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.131-144
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• 1980

The Linear Regression Model to extend the monthly runoff data in the short-recorded river was proposed by the author in 1979. Here in this study generalization precedure is made to apply that model to any given river basin and to any given station. Lengthier monthly runoff data generated by this generalized model would be useful for water resources assessment and waterworks planning. The results are as follows. 1. This Linear Regression Model which is a transformed water-balance equation attempts to represent the physical properties of the parameters and the time and space varient system in catchment response lumpedly, qualitatively and deductively through the regression coefficients as component grey box, whereas deterministic model deals the foregoings distributedly, quantitatively and inductively through all the integrated processes in the catchment response. This Linear Regression Model would be termed "Statistically deterministic model". 2. Linear regression equations are obtained at four hydrostation in Geum-river basin. Significance test of equations is carried out according to the statistical criterion and shows "Highly" It is recognized th at the regression coefficients of each parameter vary regularly with catchment area increase. Those are: The larger the catchment area, the bigger the loss of precipitation due to interception and detention storage in crease. The larger the catchment area, the bigger the release of baseflow due to catchment slope decrease and storage capacity increase. The larger the catchment area, the bigger the loss of evapotranspiration due to more naked coverage and soil properties. These facts coincide well with hydrological commonsenses. 3. Generalized diagram of regression coefficients is made to follow those commonsenses. By this diagram, Linear Regression Model would be set up for a given river basin and for a given station (Fig.10).

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.568-573
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the analgesic effects on the oral cavity in dogs which are treated with xylazine and electroacupuncture (EA). Furthermore, this study aims to find out its effects on glucose (GLU), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) variation values, vital signs (rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate) and pain responses to the noxious stimuli. Eight healthy dogs were randomly assigned to receive either xylazine or EA. Xylazine group dogs with weight of 3.6${\pm}$1.0 kg received 1.5 mg/kg of xylazine intramuscularly. EA group dogs with weight of 3.9${\pm}$1.0 kg received 1 volt (10-15 hz) for 5 minutes, and then 1-9 Volts (25-30 hz) for 60 minutes totally. The acupoints used were LI-3 (San Jian), LI-4 (He Gu) and ST-7 (Xia Guan). All dogs were examined before and 10, 25, 40, 55 and 120 minutes after administration of xylazine or EA. The mean rectal temperatures of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 25, 40 and 55 minutes (p < 0.05). The mean heart rates of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 10, 25, 40 and 55 minutes (p < 0.05). The mean respiratory rates of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 55 and 120 minutes (p < 0.05). The mean GLU concentration of the EA group were significantly lower than those of xylazine group after 55 and 120 minutes (p < 0.05). The sum of mean pain scores (SMPS) of the EA group were significantly higher than those of xylazine group after 10, 25 40 and 55 minutes (p < 0.05). In this study, the pain control of the EA group was shown to be better than that of the xylazine group. Also, there do not appear to be any negative physiologic effects associated with acupuncture-induced surgical analgesia. So, it was considered that these acupoints of EA analgesia might be useful for minor oral surgery in weak patients.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.73-81
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• 2017

During the 1990s, policy was put in place to create resting spaces in rural areas. This policy was associated with a government project to improve the rural residence environment and it attracted attention to outdoor spaces in rural areas. Many communities have gradually disappeared in rural areas but previous studies suggested that legally protected trees might provide resting and cultural spaces in a given rural community. The rural residential environment can be improved by legally protected trees and by doing so, these resources may then help to sustain many rural communities. Therefore, the creation of resting spaces or mini-parks created around trees that are protected by in rural communities should be considered. The value of trees that are protected by law can differ depending on the status of the trees or the surroundings. Nevertheless, there has not been systemic research regarding legally-protected trees in terms of rural communities. This study aims at evaluating the potential of these trees and at analyzing how these trees can be useful in the creation of community spaces in rural areas. The findings can be helpful in providing foundation data for creating these types of community spaces. Forty legally protected trees in Gimchon City were selected for this study. Nine items were used to evaluate the potential of the trees for creating community spaces. These items could be classified into five factors including accessibility, relation to public facilities, environment and safety, symbolism, and ease for creating community spaces. The potential of the legally protected trees was evaluated by 5-point Likert Scales in a given item. The overall potential was evaluated by the sum of individual item scores. Specifically, trees with over 20 points (max. 25 points) could be considered high potential. According to the empirical findings, the portion of legally protected trees with high potential is five percent (No.7 and No.12 trees). Therefore, the priority is to protect or use the trees for the creation of community spaces that can help make a better residential environment for rural communities.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.556-569
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• 2015

With about 75% of the population of Korea criticizing the government's disaster policy and a failure to respond to large-scale emergency like the Sewol ferry sinking means that there is a deep distrust in the government. In order to prevent dreadful disasters such as the Sewol ferry sinking, it is important to secure a prime time with respect to disaster safety. Improving crisis management skills and managerial role of police officers who are in close proximity to the people is necessary for the success of disaster management. With disaster management as one of the most essential missions of the police, as a part of a national crisis management, a step by step strengthening of the disaster safety management system of the police is necessary, as below. First, at the prevention phase, law enforcement officers were not injected into for profit large-scale assemblies or events, but in the future the involvement, injection should be based on the level of potential risk, rather than profitability. In the past and now, the priortiy was the priority was on traffic flow, traffic communication, however, the paradigm of traffic policy should be changed to a safety-centered policy. To prevent large-scale accidents, police investigators should root out improper routines and illegal construction subcontracting. The police (intelligence) should strengthen efforts to collect intelligence under the subject of "safety". Second, with respect to the preparatory phase, on a survey of police officers, the result showed that 72% of police officers responded that safety management was not related to the job descriptions of the police. This, along with other results, shows that the awareness of disaster safety must be adopted by, or rather changed in the police urgently. The training in disaster safety education should be strengthened. A network of experts (private, administrative, and police) in safety management should be established to take advantage of private resources with regard to crisis situtions. Third, with respect to the response phase, for rapid first responses to occur, a unified communication network should be established, and a real-time video information network should be adopted by the police and installed in the police situation room. Fourth, during the recovery phase, recovery teams should be injected, added and operated to minimize secondary damage.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.16-31
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• 2020

Objectives : This study is designed to analyze outpatients who received medical treatment for skin diseases in ophthalmology & otolaryngology & dermatology clinic of Korean Medical Hospital from March 1st, 2016 to February 28th, 2019. To discover the tendencies of dermatology outpatients and provide the base data for future researches in dermatology patients' characteristics, korean medical treatments on dermatology field, more statistical analysis and establishment of korean medical health care policy. Methods : We classified dermatology outpatients who received treatments in ophthalmology & otolaryngology & dermatology clinic of Korean Medical Hospital from March 1st, 2016 to February 28th, 2019 according to gender, year, age, seasonal, main diagnosis, visit days. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 23.0 Results : The results of the analysis on 651 dermatology patients treated in ophthalmology & otolaryngology & dermatology clinic of Dunsan Korean Medical Hospital for the past 3 years are as follows. 1. The number of outpatients who visited ophthalmology & otolaryngology & dermatology clinic of Dunsan Korean Medical Hospital for skin diseases were 651; 286 male(43.9%) and 365 female(56.1%). The number of female patients were approximately 1.27 times higher. 2. The average age of the dermatology outpatients were 37.6. The most frequent visitors turned out to be 20s, and the number of 20s, 30s patients were 267, consisting 41.0% of the whole patients. 3. By examining the change on yearly basis, we noticed that the number of outpatients treated with skin diseases steadily increased with the years. 1) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by gender and year, the number of male and female patients both increased with the years. 2) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by age and year, there were statistically significant difference between two groups. 3) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by season and year, there were statistically significant difference between two groups. 4) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by main diagnosis and year, there were statistically significant difference between two groups. 4. In the analysis of the number of outpatients by seasonal basis, the number of the outpatients visited in summer was the largest by 185(28.4%), followed by winter 181(27.8%), spring 148(22.7%), and the autumn 137(21.0%). 1) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by age and season, there were no statistically significant difference. 2) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by age and season, there were no statistically significant difference. 5. By classifying the outpatients according to main diagnosis, it turned out that there were 40 diagnosis, with eczema the largest followed by urticaria, allergic contact dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and folliculitis. 6. The average number of visit days of dermatology outpatients were 10.24 days, and the number declined steadily with the years. 1) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by gender and visit days, there were no statistically significant difference. 2) In the analysis of the number of patients classified by age and visit days, the visit days of 70s were the shortest and the patients below 20s were longer than the other age groups. Conclusions : By analyzing the outpatients who received medical treatment for skin diseases in ophthalmology & otolaryngology & dermatology clinic of Korean Medical Hospital from March 1st, 2016 to February 28th, 2019 according to gender, year, age, seasonal, main diagnosis, visit days, We drew various meaningful results. The outpatients with skin diseases increased steadily by the years, and patients visited in winter especially shown the outstanding increase. And though the number of female patients were larger than male, the increase was bigger in male patients. We hope that this results would provide useful resources for future researches in dermatology patients'characteristics, korean medical treatment and establishment of korean medical health care policy.